Rumors spur some kids to leave Oxnard High school

Rumors of possible violence, a wave of text messages, an inaccurate radio report and lingering fears stemming from last month's shooting at a local middle school apparently led some parents to pull their children out of Oxnard High School on Thursday, authorities said.

There were no violent incidents or other disturbances at the Gonzales Road campus Thursday, school officials said. Nine Oxnard police officers were at the school for much of the day as a precaution.

The rumors of possible racial violence that led parents to line up around the front of the Oxnard High administration building Thursday began last week after a fight between a black student and a Latino student, said Principal James Edwards. He said he did not know what caused the fight.

The fistfight occurred March 13, and both students were suspended, Oxnard police Officer Ryan Carey said.

Edwards estimated several hundred of the school's 3,000 students left early Thursday.

He said the rumors of racial violence were out of character for Oxnard High. Officials had met with parents of students whose names surfaced in the rumors, and some students were sent home.

As the rumors multiplied, the police presence was increased Thursday, the last day of classes before spring break.

Some parents came to pick up their children early from school when the students called or text-messaged them about rumors of impending violence. At one point, a local radio station reported incorrect information about what was going on at the school, authorities said.

A scheduled track meet was canceled Thursday as a result of the rumors, Edwards said.

Even after hearing that nothing had happened, some family members waiting in line to pick up students remained worried about possible violence.

&quot;You never know,&quot; said Bernadette Hodges, 34, of Oxnard, who came to pick up her younger brother after he called her about the rumors. &quot;They wouldn't have all these cops here for nothing.&quot;

Jody Dunlap, superintendent of Oxnard Union High School District, said she understands many parents are nervous following the shooting death of a student at E.O. Green School in Oxnard last month, and she will defer to parents when they feel they need to take their children out of class for safety reasons.

But in the future, she said, she hopes parents would call the school or superintendent's office instead of relying on text messages or other indirect information.

Edwards said he plans to review safety policies and continue looking into the rumors that frightened students and parents.

&quot;We will continue to address these issues after spring break and hopefully we can resolve any concerns students and parents have regarding the previous incident,&quot; he said.